Hey all, I've made 4 stouts using AHS kits (3 Oatmeal Stouts and one milk chocolate stout) and none of them have the stout roasty flavor that I am used to with commercial stouts. I'm wondering that I am doing wrong or if that is just the nature of extract? They all taste good, but are missing the traditional stout taste. I have just recently started BIAB, but haven't done a stout yet, should I expect a different outcome if i do that or will it still be missing? All the kits I've used come with steeping grains that I steep at 155* for 25 minutes (heat water to 155, add grains and then put aside without watching the temp), I'm wondering if that could be the problem as well? They have all had a very slight sweetness in the finish even though they fully ferment down to the recipes fg. Any suggestions would be welcome! Thanks in advance!

Hey all, I've made 4 stouts using AHS kits (3 Oatmeal Stouts and one milk chocolate stout) and none of them have the stout roasty flavor that I am used to with commercial stouts. I'm wondering that I am doing wrong or if that is just the nature of extract? They all taste good, but are missing the traditional stout taste. I have just recently started BIAB, but haven't done a stout yet, should I expect a different outcome if i do that or will it still be missing? All the kits I've used come with steeping grains that I steep at 155* for 25 minutes (heat water to 155, add grains and then put aside without watching the temp), I'm wondering if that could be the problem as well? They have all had a very slight sweetness in the finish even though they fully ferment down to the recipes fg. Any suggestions would be welcome! Thanks in advance!

Can you post up the recipe, so we can see if you actually have any roasted grains in with your steeping grains?

__________________Broken Leg BreweryGiving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

Well, they look like great beers but definitely not "roasty"! If you want a roasted flavor, you have to use roasted barley or at least more black patent type malts. Chocolate malt does have a certain roastiness to it, but nothing like roasted barley.

We have a pretty good database, and if you check out the stout area: Stout you can see recipes for classic stouts. Your recipes above aren't bad at all- but if you want a roasty stout those recipes won't give you that.

__________________Broken Leg BreweryGiving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

Ahh, i see. I was trying to get something like a Blue Point Oatmeal Stout or a Brickhouse Brewery Nitro Stout. They both have the roasty flavor that I guess made me think that is the 'standard' stout flavor. Though I guess if I think back to Guiness, it is totally not there for that!